Clasp.



No. 883,231. PATENTED MAR. 31, 1908. J. H. PILKINGTON CLASP. APPLICATION FILED MAY 13. I907.

WITNESSES Z /NVENTOH 741w 08W; F 47 ATTORNEY.

JOSEPH H. PILKINGTON, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT.

CLASP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 13, 1907.

Patented March 31, 1908.

Serial No. 373,251.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrn H. PILKING- TON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Waterbury, county of New Haven, State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Olasp, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the various types of garment clasps used upon stocking supporters and sleeve holders and necktie holders, etc., and has for its object to provide a gripping jaw for clasps which shall be simple and inexpensive to produce,'will be applicable to the various styles of clasps in eneral use and will be especially adapted or use upon stocking supporters, as my novel jaws will grip and hold fine light stockings and other fabrics firmly but with a yielding engagement, so that the danger of tearing a fine stocking or other fabric will be reduced to the minimum.

With these and other objects in view I have devised the novel clasp jaw of which the following description in connection with the accompanying drawing is a specification, reference characters being used to indicate the several parts:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a lever clasp embodying my novel invention; Fig. 2 a longitudinal section on the line 24 in Fig. 1, the jaws being in the gripping position; Fig. 3 a detail sectional view on an enlarged scale on the line 33 in Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 4 a longitudinal section on the line 2-4 in Fig. 1, the jaws being in the open position and illustrating a form of the invention in which both of the jaws are made yielding; Fig. 5 a longitudinal sec tion illustrating the application of the invention to a spring clasp; and Fig. 6 is a detail view of the pad holder detached. Fig. 7 is a sectional view similar to a portion of Fig. 4 but on a larger scale.

10 and 11 denote the arms of a clasp which, so far as the present invention is concerned, may be of any ordinary or preferred con struction; for example, a lever clasp, as in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, or a spring clasp, as in Fig. 5.

In Figs. 1, 2 and 4, I have shown the arms as formed in one piece from spring metal bent to form a U-sprin indicated by 12, at its mid-length. One 0% the arms, the lower as shown in the drawing, has formed integral therewith or rigidly secured thereto, ears 13 between which the lever 14 is pivoted. The lever is provided with an arm 15 which engages arm 11 to move the jaws to the gripping position as in Fig. 2, the resiliency of the U-spring throwing the arms to the open position when the lever is raised as in Fig. 4. Arm 11 is shown as provided with a curved depression 16, which is engaged by the oper ating arm of the lever. The special details of construction, however, are not of the essence of the invention.

In the form illustrated in Fig. .5, both arms are provided with ears 14, a pivot pin 1.7 passes through the ears on both arms and a spring 18 coiled about the pivot pin and having arms engaging the arms of the clasp acts to retain the jaws in the gripping position. Each arm of the clasp is provided with a jaw. One jaw in each clasp may be formed by simply curving the end of the arm, as jaw 19 in Figs. 1, 2 and 5. One of the arms, and if preferred both arms, is provided with my novel yielding jaw which is indicated as a whole by 20. The essential features of jaw 20 are a pad holder 21 having a depression 22 and a yielding pad 23 carried by the pad holder. In practice the pad holder may be made from a strip of sheet metal of a length equal to the width of the jaw and bent to substantially- U-shape in, cross-section. For the pad I preferably use a strip of rubber tubing the length of the ad holder within which the pad holder is p aced. The pad holder and pad are held between ears 24 on opposite sides of the arm, a simple way of securing the parts together being to strike in bosses 25 from the ears which extend into the ends of depression 22 in the pad holder and securely lock the pad holder with the pad thereon in place, as clearly shown in Fig. 4.

In Figs. 1, 2 and 5, I have shown a clasp having one curved jaw 19 and one yielding jaw 20, and in Fig. 4 I have illustrated a form of clasp provided with two yielding 'aws, one of the yielding jaws being relatively lar e and the other relatively small, so that the ace of the smaller jaw will force the pad of the larger jaw downward into the depression in the pad holder and thus produce a very strong but yielding rip upon a stocking or other article engaged by the jaws. The operation is the same whether one or two yielding jaws are used. The essential feature of the invention is that the smaller jaw, whether it is formed by curving the end of the arm or is a yielding jaw, when moved to the clamping position retains the stockin or other article to be gripped by forcing a old thereof into the pad of a yielding jaw, the pad with the fold being forced downward into the depression in the pad holder, thereby retaining the article firmly the full width of the jaw but without danger of tearing the stocking or other article, owing to the yielding of the pad. The forcing of a fold of a stocking or other article of clothing, together with the pad downward into the depression in the pad older, insures a gri ping action upon a maximum amount of t e surface of the article to be held, thus making a very strong and secure attachment but without danger of tearing the goods.

It will be observed that the portion. of rubber which receives the pressure of the opposing jaw is supported like a diaphra m by the upper edges of the holder, said edges being parallel with each other and being at suflicient height above the bottom of the holder to leave a space into which the diaphragmlike elastic material may be depressed by the opposing jaw. In other words the structure provides an elastic diaphragm which bridges a space between the parallel pad supporting members.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A clasp jaw consisting essentially of a pad holder having a longitudinal depression, a hollow pad inclosing the holder and means for securing the pad holder and pad in place.

2. A clasp jaw consisting essentially of a pad holder having a longitudinal depression, a pad consisting of a piece of rubber tubing inclosin the holder and means for securing the pad1older and pad in place.

3. A clas jaw consisting essentially of a pad holder ormed from a strip of sheet metal bent to substantially U-shape in cross-section, a hollow ad inclosing the holder and nieans for securing the pad holder and pad in p ace.

4. A clasp jaw consisting essentially of a pad holder havinga longitudinal depression, a pad carried thereby, ears at the end of the pad holder, and bosses struck in from the ears and engaging the ends of the pad holder whereby the pad holder and pad are retained in place.

5. A clasp comprising arms one of which is provided with a yielding jaw consisting of a pad holder having a longitudinal de ression, and a tubular pad inclosing the ho der, the other arm being provided with a smaller jaw adapted to force the ad downward into the depression in the pad iolder, substantially as i described, for the purpose specified.

6. A clasp comprising arms one of which is provided with a yielding jaw consisting of a pad holder having a longitudinal depression, and a tubular pad inclosing the holder, the other arm being provided with a smaller jaw adapted to press the pad downward into the depression in the pad holder, means for moving the arms together to place the jaws in the gripping position and means for separating the jaws when the arms are released.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses,

JOSEPH H. PILKINGTON.

Witnesses:

CASIMIR H. BRONSON, KATHRYN V. TAYLOR. 

